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Aged hematopoietic stem cells rejuvenated to be functionally younger

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Public release date: 3-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nick Miller nicholas.miller@cchmc.org 513-803-6035 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

CINCINNATI Researchers have rejuvenated aged hematopoietic stem cells to be functionally younger, offering intriguing clues into how medicine might one day fend off some of the ailments of old age.

Scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Ulm University Medicine in Germany report their findings online May 3 in the journal Cell Stem Cell. The paper brings new perspective to what has been a life science controversy countering what used to be broad consensus that the aging of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) was locked in by nature and not reversible by therapeutic intervention.

HSCs are stem cells that originate in the bone marrow and generate all of the body's red and white blood cells and platelets. They are an essential support mechanism of blood cells and the immune system. As humans and other species age, HSCs become more numerous but less effective at regenerating blood cells and immune cells. This makes older people more susceptible to infections and disease, including leukemia.

Researchers in the current study determined a protein that regulates cell signaling Cdc42 also controls a molecular process that causes HSCs from mice to age. Pharmacologic inhibition of Cdc42 reversed HSC aging and restored function similar to that of younger stem cells, explained Hartmut Geiger, PhD, the study's principal investigator and a researcher in the Division of Experimental Hematology/Cancer Biology at Cincinnati Children's, and the Department of Dermatology and Allergic Diseases, Ulm University Medicine.

"Aging is interesting, in part because we still don't understand how we age," Geiger said. "Our findings suggest a novel and important role for Cdc42 and identify its activity as a target for ameliorating natural HSC aging. We know the aging of HSCs reduces in part the response of the immune system response in older people, which contributes to diseases such as anemia, and may be the cause of tissue attrition in certain systems of the body."

The findings are early and involve laboratory manipulation of mouse cells, so it remains to be seen what direct application they may have for humans. Still, the study expands what is known about the basic molecular and cellular mechanisms of aging a necessary step to one day designing rational approaches to aiding a healthy aging process.

One reason the research team focused on Cdc42 is that previous studies have reported elevated activity of the protein in various tissue types of older mice which have a natural life span of around two years. Also, elevated expression of Cdc42 has been found in immune system white blood cells in older humans.

In the current study, researchers found elevated activity of Cdc42 in the HSCs of older mice. They also were able to induce premature aging of HSCs in mice by genetically increasing Cdc42 activity in the cells. The aged cells lost structural organization and polarity, resulting in improper placement and spacing of components inside the cells. This disorganization contributed to the cells' decreased functional efficiency.

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Aged hematopoietic stem cells rejuvenated to be functionally younger

Stem cell therapy shows promise in fight against HIV

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SACRAMENTO UC Davis Health System researchers are a step closer to launching human clinical trials involving the use of an innovative stem cell therapy to fight the virus that causes AIDS.

In a paper published in the May issue of the Journal of Virology, the UC Davis HIV team demonstrated both the safety and efficacy of transplanting anti-HIV stem cells into mice that represent models of infected patients. The technique, which involves replacing the immune system with stem cells engineered with a triple combination of HIV-resistant genes, proved capable of replicating a normally functioning human immune system by protecting and expanding HIV-resistant immune cells. The cells thrived and self-renewed even when challenged with an HIV viral load.

"We envision this as a potential functional cure for patients infected with HIV, giving them the ability to maintain a normal immune system through genetic resistance," said lead author Joseph Anderson, an assistant adjunct professor of internal medicine and a stem cell researcher at the UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures. "Ideally, it would be a one-time treatment through which stem cells express HIV-resistant genes, which in turn generate an entire HIV-resistant immune system."

To establish immunity in mice whose immune systems paralleled those of patients with HIV, Anderson and his team genetically modified human blood stem cells, which are responsible for producing the various types of immune cells in the body.

Building on work that members of the team have pursued over the last decade, they developed several anti-HIV genes that were inserted into blood stem cells using standard gene-therapy techniques and viral vectors (viruses that efficiently insert the genes they carry into host cells). The resulting combination vector contained:

These engineered blood stem cells, which could be differentiated into normal and functional human immune cells, were introduced into the mice. The goal was to validate whether this experimental treatment would result in an immune system that remained functional, even in the face of an HIV infection, and would halt or slow the progression toward AIDS.

The results were successful on all counts.

"After we challenged transplanted mice with live HIV, we demonstrated that the cells with HIV-resistant genes were protected from infection and survived in the face of a viral challenge, maintaining normal human CD4 levels," said Anderson.

CD4+ T-cells are a type of specialized immune cell that HIV attacks and uses to make more copies of HIV.

"We actually saw an expansion of resistant cells after the viral challenge, because other cells which were not resistant were being killed off, and only the resistant cells remained, which took over the immune system and maintained normal CD4 levels," added Anderson.

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Stem cell therapy shows promise in fight against HIV

Study using stem cell therapy shows promise in fight against HIV

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Public release date: 1-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Charles Casey charles.casey@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu 916-734-9048 University of California - Davis Health System

UC Davis Health System researchers are a step closer to launching human clinical trials involving the use of an innovative stem cell therapy to fight the virus that causes AIDS.

In a paper published in the May issue of the Journal of Virology, the UC Davis HIV team demonstrated both the safety and efficacy of transplanting anti-HIV stem cells into mice that represent models of infected patients. The technique, which involves replacing the immune system with stem cells engineered with a triple combination of HIV-resistant genes, proved capable of replicating a normally functioning human immune system by protecting and expanding HIV-resistant immune cells. The cells thrived and self-renewed even when challenged with an HIV viral load.

"We envision this as a potential functional cure for patients infected with HIV, giving them the ability to maintain a normal immune system through genetic resistance," said lead author Joseph Anderson, an assistant adjunct professor of internal medicine and a stem cell researcher at the UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures. "Ideally, it would be a one-time treatment through which stem cells express HIV-resistant genes, which in turn generate an entire HIV-resistant immune system."

To establish immunity in mice whose immune systems paralleled those of patients with HIV, Anderson and his team genetically modified human blood stem cells, which are responsible for producing the various types of immune cells in the body.

Building on work that members of the team have pursued over the last decade, they developed several anti-HIV genes that were inserted into blood stem cells using standard gene-therapy techniques and viral vectors (viruses that efficiently insert the genes they carry into host cells). The resulting combination vector contained:

a human/rhesus macaque TRIM5 isoform, which disrupts HIV from uncoating in the cytoplasm a CCR5 short hairpin RNA (shRNA), which prevents certain strains of HIV from attaching to target cells a TAR decoy, which stops HIV genes from being expressed inside of the cell by soaking up a critical protein needed for HIV gene expression These engineered blood stem cells, which could be differentiated into normal and functional human immune cells, were introduced into the mice. The goal was to validate whether this experimental treatment would result in an immune system that remained functional, even in the face of an HIV infection, and would halt or slow the progression toward AIDS.

The results were successful on all counts.

"After we challenged transplanted mice with live HIV, we demonstrated that the cells with HIV-resistant genes were protected from infection and survived in the face of a viral challenge, maintaining normal human CD4 levels," said Anderson. CD4+ T-cells are a type of specialized immune cell that HIV attacks and uses to make more copies of HIV.

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Study using stem cell therapy shows promise in fight against HIV

University of Miami’s Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute Awarded $10 Million Grant from Starr Foundation

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MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The University of Miami Miller School of Medicines Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute (ISCI) today announced that it received a $10 million grant from The Starr Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States. The grant will support ISCI in broadening its preclinical and clinical research on stem cells, and help accelerate its pipeline of translational research and programs for a wide range of debilitating conditions including cardiac disease, cancer, wound healing, stroke, glaucoma and chronic kidney and gastrointestinal diseases.

This is a momentous and transformative gift for the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, said Joshua M. Hare, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A., Louis Lemberg Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and director of ISCI. We are so gratified that the level of science being conducted here was recognized by this very generous grant from The Starr Foundation. With this award, we join the ranks of the other major top-tier universities funded by The Starr Foundation. This support, along with our growing NIH funding, technology transfer, and other philanthropic efforts guarantees the stability of ISCI through the end of the decade, and will allow us to continue to push the boundaries of regenerative medicine with the goal of improving human health.

Stem cells and regenerative medicine are poised to transform the way we practice medicine, cure disease and treat injuries. To realize this potential, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is performing world-leading research at ISCI, said Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the Miller School of Medicine, and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Miami Health System. We are extremely proud of this recognition by The Starr Foundation that ISCI, and the Miller School of Medicine, are leading the way for stem cell and regenerative medicine breakthroughs.

Donna E. Shalala, President of the University of Miami, said the grant from the foundation will have long-reaching implications for future medicine. The team at ISCI is making new discoveries on a number of fronts and this substantial support from The Starr Foundation propels that work forward, both in the laboratory and in clinical trials.

For more on the grant, click here.

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University of Miami’s Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute Awarded $10 Million Grant from Starr Foundation

BioRestorative Therapies Announces Next Generation of Stem Cell Disc Delivery Device

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JUPITER, Fla., May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. ("BRT" or the "Company") (BRTX.PK), a life sciences company focused on adult stem cell-based therapies, announced today that the latest version of its stem cell disc delivery device, which is to be used in the treatment of bulging and herniated discs, has shown improvements when compared to earlier versions.

The first generation of the device had shown the potential to reduce disc bulges and avoid lower back surgery with a simple injection procedure. The latest generation has shown improvements, and testing of the device will continue to be done to obtain improved disc penetration and steering for optimal cell placement.

The patent-pending delivery device to be used by medical practitioners is a specifically designed needle/catheter delivery system that will inject cells directly into the annular tear that is causing the bulge or herniation.

On April 11, 2012, the Company announced the closing of its licensing agreement with Regenerative Sciences, Inc. pursuant to which BRT was granted, among other things, the exclusive right to license and sell the stem cell delivery device worldwide.

Mark Weinreb, CEO of BRT, commented, "The delivery device's novel design and unique capability of delivering cells, specifically where they are most effective, is a necessary component of the treatment regimen. As our disc restoration program advances and we receive all necessary approvals, we look forward to easing the pain experienced by back and disc pain sufferers."

About BioRestorative Therapies, Inc.

BioRestorative Therapies, Inc.'s goal is to become a leader in developing medical procedures using cell and tissue protocols, primarily involving a patient's own stem cells (non-embryonic), allowing patients to undergo cellular-based treatments. The Company has obtained a license for the adult stem cell treatments of disc and spine conditions, including bulging and herniated discs. The technology is an advanced stem cell injection procedure, using the patient's own cells, that may offer relief from lower back pain, buttock and leg pain, and numbness and tingling in the legs and feet. The Company has also launched a technology that involves the use of a brown fat cell-based therapeutic/aesthetic program, known as the ThermoStem Program. The ThermoStem Program will focus on treatments for obesity, weight loss, diabetes, hypertension, other metabolic disorders and cardiac deficiencies and will involve the study of stem cells, several genes, proteins and/or mechanisms that are related to these diseases and disorders. The Company also offers facial creams and products under the Stem Pearls brand.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and other risks, including those set forth in the Company's Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

Investor Contacts: KCSA Strategic Communications Philip Carlson / Josh Dver +1 212.896.1233 / +1 212.896.1239 pcarlson@kcsa.com / jdver@kcsa.com

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BioRestorative Therapies Announces Next Generation of Stem Cell Disc Delivery Device

Cryo-Cell International Taps Leader in Stem Cell Therapy to Serve as Chief Scientific Officer

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OLDSMAR, Fla., May 3, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Cryo-Cell International, Inc. announced the appointment of Linda Kelley, Ph.D., as chief scientific officer. Dr. Kelley is responsible for overseeing Cryo-Cells state-of-the art laboratory, translational medicine initiatives and quality assurance program at its stem cell and cord blood banking facility in Oldsmar, Florida. She joins the company from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard, where she was the director of the Connell OReilly Cell Manipulation Core Facility.

Dr. Kelley is an internationally recognized, cord blood stem cell scientist whose accomplishments have helped expand the scope of stem cell therapies from bone marrow transplantation to the treatment of heart, kidney, brain and other degenerative diseases. She was a member of the board of trustees of the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy and chaired its Standards Committee. Dr. Kelley was one of 12 scientists selected by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science to serve on the panel that advised Congress on how to allocate $80 million in funding to optimally structure a national cord blood stem cell program.

While director of the Cell Therapy Facility at the University of Utah, she established that states first umbilical cord blood collection program that enabled families to donate their childrens cord blood to the national inventory. Dr. Kelley earned graduate and post-doctoral degrees in hematology and immunology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., where she also served as assistant professor in the Department of Medicine.

As a leader in our field, Cryo-Cell is delighted to have someone of Dr. Kelleys caliber directing our laboratory and translational medicine initiatives. Her expertise will ensure that we continue to exceed the industrys quality standards and maintain our tradition of offering clients the absolute best in cord blood, cord tissue, and menstrual stem cell cryopreservation services, said David Portnoy, chairman and co-CEO at Cryo-Cell. Under her guidance, Cryo-Cell will be propelled to the forefront of regenerative medicine.

Kelley replaces Julie Allickson, Ph.D., who is joining the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), where she will manage translational research. WFIRM is led by Anthony Atala, M.D., a Cryo-Cell board member and preeminent stem cell scientist.

The opportunity to work in a cutting-edge facility with a staff that is exceptionally well trained was very attractive to me, said Dr. Kelley. But equally important in my decision to join Cryo-Cell, was the commitment that co-CEOs David and Mark Portnoy have made to support the advancement of regenerative medicine through partnerships with Stanford University and private research facilities. Cryo-Cell is unique among stem cell cryopreservation firms in that regard.

About Cryo-Cell International, Inc. Cryo-Cell International, Inc. was founded in 1989. In 1992, it became the first private cord blood bank in the world to separate and store stem cells. Today, Cryo-Cell has over 240,000 clients worldwide from 87 countries. Cryo-Cell's mission is to provide clients with state-of-the-art stem cell cryopreservation services and support the advancement of regenerative medicine. Cryo-Cell operates in a facility that is compliant with Good Manufacturing Practice and Good Tissue Practice (cGMP/cGTP). It is ISO 9001:2008 certified and accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks. Cryo-Cell is a publicly traded company, OTC:QB Markets Group Symbol: CCEL. Expectant parents or healthcare professionals who wish to learn more about cord blood banking and cord blood banking prices may call 1-800-STOR-CELL (1-800-786-7235) or visit http://www.cryo-cell.com/.

Forward-Looking Statement Statements wherein the terms "believes", "intends", "projects", "anticipates", "expects", and similar expressions as used are intended to reflect "forward-looking statements" of the Company. The information contained herein is subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated in such forward-looking statements or paragraphs, many of which are outside the control of the Company. These uncertainties and other factors include the success of the Company's global expansion initiatives and product diversification, the Company's actual future ownership stake in future therapies emerging from its collaborative research partnerships, the success related to its IP portfolio, the Company's future competitive position in stem cell innovation, future success of its core business and the competitive impact of public cord blood banking on the Company's business, the Company's ability to minimize future costs to the Company related to R&D initiatives and collaborations and the success of such initiatives and collaborations, the success and enforceability of the Company's menstrual stem cell technology license agreements and umbilical cord blood license agreements and their ability to provide the Company with royalty fees, the ability of the reproductive tissue storage to generate new revenues for the Company and those risks and uncertainties contained in risk factors described in documents the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and any Current Reports on Form 8-K filed by the Company. The Company disclaims any obligations to subsequently revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

Contact: David Portnoy Cryo-Cell International, Inc. 813-749-2100 dportnoy(at)cryo-cell(dot)com

This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/5/prweb9469228.htm

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Cryo-Cell International Taps Leader in Stem Cell Therapy to Serve as Chief Scientific Officer

Fibrocell Science Technology Leads to Discovery of Two Rare Adult Stem Cell-Like Subpopulations in Human Skin

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EXTON, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

In collaboration with Fibrocell Science, Inc., (OTCBB:FCSC.OB), researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have identified two rare adult stem cell-like subpopulations in adult human skin, a discovery that may yield further ground-breaking research in the field of personalized medicine for a broad range of diseases. Using technology developed by Fibrocell Science, Inc. the researchers were able to confirm the existence of these two types of cells in human skin cell cultures, potentially providing a source of stem cell-like subpopulations from skin biopsies, which are quicker to perform, relatively painless and less invasive than bone marrow and adipose tissue extractions, which are the current methods for deriving adult stem cells for patient-specific cellular therapies.

The findings, which are reported in the inaugural issue of BioResearch Open Access, pertain to two subtypes of cells: SSEA3-expressing regeneration-associated (SERA) cells, which may play a role in the regeneration of human skin in response to injury and mesenchymal adult stem cells (MSCs), which are under investigation (by many independent researchers) for their ability to differentiate into the three main types of cells: osteoblasts (bone cells), chondrocytes (cartilage cells) and adipocytes (fat cells). Finding these specialized cells within the skin cell cultures is important because rather than undergoing a surgical organ or tissue transplantation to replace diseased or destroyed tissue, patients may one day be able to benefit from procedures by which stem cells are extracted from their skin, reprogrammed to differentiate into specific cell types and reimplanted into their bodies to exert a therapeutic effect. Research in this area is ongoing.

Finding these rare adult stem cell-like subpopulations in human skin is an exciting discovery and provides the first step towards purifying and expanding these cells to clinically relevant numbers for application to a variety of potential personalized cellular therapies for osteoarthritis, bone loss, injury and/or damage to human skin as well as many other diseases, said James A. Byrne, Ph.D., the studys lead author and Assistant Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. In addition to pursuing our own research investigations with Fibrocell Science using this method, we envision a time not too far in the future when we will be able to isolate and produce mesenchymal stem cells and SERA cells on demand from skin samples, which may allow other researchers in need of specialized cells to pursue their own lines of medical and scientific research.

We congratulate the UCLA researchers on the publication of their breakthrough data, which may ultimately lead to new patient-specific, personalized cellular therapies to treat various diseases, said David Pernock, Chairman and CEO of Fibrocell Science, Inc. Fibrocell Science is proud of our role in helping to establish the potential of dermal skin cells for the future of personalized, regenerative medicine. We look forward to continuing our relationship with UCLA and Dr. Byrnes team to advance this research.

Discovering Viable, Regenerative Cells in the Skin

Dr. Byrne and colleagues confirmed previous research identifying a rare population of cells in adult human skin that has a marker called the stage-specific embryonic antigen 3 (SSEA3). Dr. Byrne observed that there was a significant increase in the number of SSEA3 expressing cells following injury to human skin, supporting the hypothesis that the SSEA3 biomarker can be used to facilitate the identification and isolation of these cells with tissue-regenerative properties.

Using Fibrocells proprietary technology, the researchers collected cells from small skin samples, cultured the cells in the lab, and purified them via a technique known as fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Under FACS, cells in suspension were tagged with fluorescent markers specific for undifferentiated stem cells. This method allowed the researchers to separate the rare cell subpopulations from other types of cells.

Dr. Byrne and colleagues also observed a rare subpopulation of functional MSCs in human skin that existed in addition to the SERA cells.

Being able to identify two sub-populations of rare, viable and functional cells that behave like stem cells from within the skin is an important finding because both cell types have the potential to be investigated for diverse clinical applications, said Dr. Byrne.

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Fibrocell Science Technology Leads to Discovery of Two Rare Adult Stem Cell-Like Subpopulations in Human Skin

Air Pollution and Life Expectancy in China

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I've noted work on correlations between air pollution and reduced life expectancy in past years; the statistical differences are usually very small in comparison to what you can do for yourself via calorie restriction and exercise, as air pollution in wealthier regions of the world is a fraction of what it was a century past. As populations became radically richer in the course of the past three centuries, the luxury of being able to pay for a better environment became possible - either directly or through investment in technologies that cause less pollution in the course of achieving their end goals. It wasn't all that long ago, for example, that there were dead rivers in the US and Western Europe. Those rivers would still be dead if not for the fact that our societies are far wealthier than those of our grandparents; to be able to be an environmentalist is very much a luxury. It requires sufficient surrounding wealth or knowledge to be able to do things a different way.

In any case, here is a recent study on air quality and life expectancy in China - a region of the world that is still largely an expanse of 20th-century styled comparative poverty, scattered with enclaves and belts of modern wealth.

Air Pollution Shortens Life Expectancy and Health Expectancy for Older Adults: The Case of China.

Outdoor air pollution is one of the most worrying environmental threats China faces today. Comprehensive and quantitative analyses of the health consequences of air pollution in China are lacking. This study reports age- and sex-specific life expectancy and health expectancies (HEs) corresponding to different levels of air pollution based on associations between air pollution and individual risks for a host of health conditions and mortality net of individual- and community-level confounders.

...

The main outcome measures in this study include life expectancy estimated from mortality and HEs based on five health conditions including activity of daily living, instrumental activity of daily living, cognitive status, self-rated health, and chronic conditions. Net of the controls, exposure to outdoor air pollution corresponded to subsequent reductions of life expectancy and HEs for all five health conditions. These detrimental pollution effects were stronger for women. The gap in life expectancy between areas with good air quality and moderately heavily polluted areas was 3.78 years for women of age 65 and 0.93 years for men. The differences in HEs at age 65 were also large, ranging from 1.47 years for HE for good self-rated health in men to 5.20 years for activity of daily living disability-free HE in women.

Air quality tends to be mixed up with a range of other confounding factors, however. This requires careful work on the part of researchers to have a chance of teasing out air quality effects independently of other factors that lead people to remain in areas of poor air quality:

I would be willing to wager that the correlation has more to do with the relative wealth of these areas and those who make the economic choice to live there, as well as access to medical technology and lifestyle choices. Things are rarely as simple as a two-parameter study casts them to be.

Still, aging is damage, and there's do great doubt that very polluted air does damage people over the long term, to a degree related to the level of pollution: inflammation, increased risk of age-related disease, outright lung damage, risk of cancer, that sort of thing. But once the air becomes clean enough for effects to be subtle - meaning much less in magnitude that effects of exercise, differences in wealth, intelligence, or even state of mind - then attention should turn to other controllable factors in life.

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Researcher Steven Austad Writes a Biweekly Column on Aging Science

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This seems like an interesting marker of public awareness of aging science; one of the noted researchers in the field recently started on a biweekly column for a local paper. Links to the columns published to date can be found on this page: "In my last column I discussed something we all know intuitively: Generally speaking, larger species of animals live longer than smaller species and this pattern extends even to whales that live more than 200 years. Are there dramatic exceptions to this rule - like people, for instance? Think of other mammals about our size, such as deer or mountain lions or seals. Don't we live longer than they do? The answer is, 'Yes, we do.' Humans live about five times as long as the average mammal of the same size, which makes us pretty special - but not as special as bats. Texas is bat country, as anyone who has watched millions of bats boil out of Bracken Cave or from under Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge can verify. What many people don't realize is how long bats live. For their size, bats are the longest-lived mammals by far, living up to 10 times as long as an average mammal of similar size. ... Think about this for a second. Your dog or cat, eating the best food science can provide, protected from predators and the elements and vaccinated against all sorts of diseases, is doing well to reach 15 to 20 years of age. By comparison, in order for a bat in the wild to survive it must catch its own prey, elude predators, resist climatic extremes, and avoid a wide range of infectious diseases. Yet despite these challenges, bats can live twice as long as your pampered pet." Current thinking on bat longevity looks to be similar to theories on naked mole rat longevity - it has to do with resistance of cell membranes (and especially mitochondria) to oxidative damage, otherwise known as the membrane pacemaker hypothesis of aging. This is thought to have developed in bats, and in birds, in respond to the metabolic demands of flight.

Link: http://barshop.uthscsa.edu/main/newsseminars/news/u50

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http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Examining Mitochondrial DNA Damage in Detail

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Damage to mitochondrial DNA contributes to aging, and mitochondrial function is in general influential upon aging - damage causes harm by preventing the production of protein machinery vital to mitochondrial activity, which is the start of a long process that sees cells overtaken by dysfunctional mitochondria, and exporting their dysfunction to surrounding tissue by emitting harmful reactive molecules. There are numerous different sorts of DNA damage, however. Point mutations, for example, have been shown to do little to aging. Deletions, where whole reaches of DNA are knocked out, are a different story, and here researchers are investigating how this form of DNA damage varies between species: "Deletion mutations within mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been implicated in degenerative and aging related conditions, such as sarcopenia and neuro-degeneration. While the precise molecular mechanism of deletion formation in mtDNA is still not completely understood, genome motifs such as direct repeat (DR) and stem-loop (SL) have been observed in the neighborhood of deletion breakpoints and thus have been postulated to take part in mutagenesis. In this study, we have analyzed the mitochondrial genomes from four different mammals: human, rhesus monkey, mouse and rat ... Our analysis revealed that in the four species, DR and SL structures are abundant and that their distributions in mtDNA are not statistically different from randomized sequences. However, the average distance between the reported age associated mtDNA breakpoints and their respective nearest DR motifs is significantly shorter than what is expected of random chance in human and rhesus monkey, but not in mouse and rat, indicating the existence of species specific difference in the relationship between DR motifs and deletion breakpoints. In addition, the frequencies of large DRs tend to decrease with increasing lifespan among the four mammals studied here, further suggesting an evolutionary selection against stable mtDNA misalignments associated with long DRs in long-living animals."

Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0035271

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A Brace of Open Access Papers on the Genetics of Longevity

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The latest issue of the open access journal Immunity & Aging includes a number of interesting papers covering the overlap between genetic contributions to natural variations in longevity and the aging of the immune system - which contributes to a range of age-related dysfunction and systems failure. They are very much in the mainstream model of narrow, unambitious, cautious vision: aiming for and expecting only modest, gradual improvements in health and longevity. Even in this time of radical change in biotechnology, the old habits of incrementalism and understatement regarding the bounds of the possible for human longevity are only slowly fading. The future must be one of ambitious, grand visions in medical science and funding for research if we are to benefit fully from the true potential of biotechnology. In any case, these papers remain interesting for what they are, and are available as provisional PDFs at this time - the download links are on the abstract pages below.

"Positive biology": the centenarian lesson:

The extraordinary increase of the elderly in developed countries underscore the importance of studies on ageing and longevity and the need for the prompt spread of knowledge about ageing in order to satisfactorily decrease the medical, economic and social problems associated to advancing years, because of the increased number of individuals not autonomous and affected by invalidating pathologies. Centenarians are equipped to reach the extreme limits of human life span and, most importantly, to show relatively good health, being able to perform their routine daily life and to escape fatal age-related diseases. Thus, they are the best example of extreme longevity, representing selected people in which the appearance of major age-related diseases, such as cancer, and cardiovascular diseases among others, has been consistently delayed or escaped. ... The aim is to realize, through a "positive biology" approach (rather than making diseases the central focus of research, "positive biology" seeks to understand the causes of positive phenotypes, trying to explain the biological mechanisms of health and well-being) how to prevent and/or reduce elderly frailty and disability.

Epidemiological, genetic and epigenetic aspects of the research on healthy ageing and longevity:

In this article we aimed to overview the research on the biological basis of human healthy ageing and longevity, discussing the role of epidemiological, genetic and epigenetic factors in the variation of quality of ageing and lifespan, including the most promising candidate genes investigated so far. Moreover, we reported the methodologies applied for their identification, discussing advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches and possible solutions that can be taken to overcome them.

Genetics of longevity. Data from the studies on Sicilian centenarians:

Scientists have focused their attention on centenarians as optimal model to address the biological mechanisms of "successful and unsuccessful ageing". They are equipped to reach the extreme limits of human life span and, most importantly, to show relatively good health, being able to perform their routine daily life and to escape fatal age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Thus, particular attention has been centered on their genetic background and immune system. In this review, we report our data gathered for over 10 years in Sicilian centenarians. Based on results obtained, we suggest longevity as the result of an optimal performance of immune system and an over-expression of anti-inflammatory sequence variants of immune/inflammatory genes.

Extending healthy ageing: nutrient sensitive pathway and centenarian population:

To increase our understanding of how ageing works, it may be advantageous to analyze the phenotype of centenarians, perhaps one of the best examples of successful ageing. Healthy ageing involves the interaction between genes, the environment, and lifestyle factors, particularly diet. Besides evaluating specific gene-environment interactions in relation to exceptional longevity, it is important to focus attention on modifiable lifestyle factors such as diet and nutrition to achieve extension of health span. Furthermore, a better understanding of human longevity may assist in the design of strategies to extend the duration of optimal human health.

The application of genetics approaches to the study of exceptional longevity in humans: potential and limitations:

The average life-span of the population of industrialized countries has improved enormously over the last decades. Despite evidence pointing to the role of food intake in modulating life-span, exceptional longevity is still considered primarily an inheritable trait, as pointed out by the description of families with centenarian clusters and by the elevated relative probability of siblings of centenarians to become centenarians themselves. However, rather than being two separate concepts, the genetic origin of exceptional longevity and the more recently observed environment-driven increase in the average age of the population could possibly be explained by the same genetic variants and environmentally modulated mechanisms (caloric restriction, specific nutrients). In support of this hypothesis, polymorphisms selected for in the centenarian population as a consequence of demographic pressure have been found to modulate cellular signals controlled also by caloric restriction.

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Further Work on Epigenetic Changes that Occur With Aging

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Via ScienceDaily: researchers "have identified a group of 'aging' genes that are switched on and off by natural mechanisms called epigenetic factors, influencing the rate of healthy aging and potential longevity. The study also suggests these epigenetic processes - that can be caused by external factors such as diet, lifestyle and environment - are likely to be initiated from an early age and continue through a person's life. The researchers say that the epigenetic changes they have identified could be used as potential 'markers' of biological aging and in the future could be possible targets for anti-aging therapies. ... the study looked at 172 twins aged 32 to 80 from the TwinsUK cohort. The researchers looked for epigenetic changes in the twins' DNA, and performed epigenome-wide association scans to analyze these changes in relation to chronological age. They identified 490 age related epigenetic changes. They also analysed DNA modifications in age related traits and found that epigenetic changes in four genes relate to cholesterol, lung function and maternal longevity. To try to identify when these epigenetic changes may be triggered, the researchers replicated the study in 44 younger twins, aged 22 to 61, and found that many of the 490 age related epigenetic changes were also present in this younger group. The researchers say these results suggest that while many age related epigenetic changes happen naturally with age throughout a person's life, a proportion of these changes may be initiated early in life."

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419191709.htm

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Insights into Aging from the Study of Flies

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An open access review paper looks at how the study of fly aging has informed the life sciences: "it is likely that not all senescent physiological changes revealed in flies can be simply translated to humans. However, flies and humans often show very similar age-related physiological phenotypes suggesting that at least some of the basic biological properties and mechanisms that regulate longevity are conserved amongst species. ... It is well-known that advances in medicine and health care have significantly contributed to increased longevity in humans over the last 100 years. There is also a clear trend toward increased life expectancy including an increase in the numbers of people living to an advanced age and the number of people with chronic age-related diseases. These trends emphasize the need to understand the genetic and physiological factors underlying biological aging and particularly, those that promote healthy aging. ... there are three ways to extend lifespan: increasing early survival rate, increasing late survival rate, or delaying senescence. Remarkably, the first two do not affect basic aging processes. For example, the first one leads to a significant increase in mean but not maximum lifespan, while the second one leads to change in a maximum but not mean lifespan. Delayed senescence, in turn, leads to a significant increase in both the mean and maximum lifespan. ... This raises the question as to whether healthspan and delayed senescence are inter related. As stated above, while many genes have been shown to extend lifespan, these may have little or no ability to delay physiological senescence. In other words, the period of functional disability before death may increase despite the fact that the total duration of life is increased. Thus, the search for appropriate biomarkers applicable to monitor functional senescence is highly important with regards to healthy aging and age-related diseases." These cautions are very much focused on the mainstream research goals of slowing the rate of aging through genetic and metabolic alterations; they have little relevance to efforts aimed at producing continuous repair of aging.

Link: http://www.frontiersin.org/Integrative_Physiology/10.3389/fphys.2012.00106/full

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

The FDA is a Destructive Force

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The employees and appointees of the US Food and Drug Administration have caused an incredible destruction of value and progress over the time that the agency has existed. Their regulatory policies become ever more onerous with each passing year, as unaccountable bureaucrats follow their incentives: nothing good can happen to their careers as a result of approving new technologies, and nothing bad tends to happen to their careers as a result of making it really, really hard to bring new medicine to the clinic. So of course you wind up with an organization whose members collectively pay nothing more than lip service to their declared mission, while working to make sure that medicine stays moribund in a slow-motion stasis. This is most evident in the cancer research community, largely because of its size, but it applies just as evenly across all forms of medicine:

A 2010 study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by researchers from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas found that the time from drug discovery to marketing increased from eight years in 1960 to 12 to 15 years in 2010. Five years of this increase results from new regulations boosting the lengths and costs of clinical trials. The regulators aim to prevent cancer patients from dying from toxic new drugs. However, the cancer researchers calculate that the delays caused by requirements for lengthier trials have instead resulted in the loss of 300,000 patient life-years while saving only 16 life-years.

To add to this picture, you must also see incumbent Big Pharma entities and their executives and lobbyists - a deeply enmeshed network of regulatory capture. They are far more willing to use the current system as a weapon to suppress disruptive innovation in their industry than to be a source of innovation themselves. So it goes, just as in any other heavily regulated market. The strategic goals of the major players wind up having very little to do with creating beneficial change, and everything to do with keeping things the same as they are now.

As I've said in the past, it is a waste of energy to fight this. That's a money pit, and resources are better spent on creating actual progress than lining the pockets of politicians, their lackeys, and other corrupt cogs in the system. Work around the roadblock instead: start companies and partner for research development outside the US. Deliver services in Asia and take advantage of cheap flights and the growing medical tourism industry. The only way that the FDA will whither away is to make it entirely irrelevant - and as the bureaucrats keep piling on the costs, erecting an ever higher barrier to actually developing any new medicine in the US, that will become a more popular option. You can be sure that the wealthier and more connected individuals who make regulations and advocate for ever greater powers to accrue to the FDA will be amongst the first flying beyond the US to undergo newer therapies - treatments that they have managed to make illegal or too expensive to exist in their own country.

Some more on this topic:

Though the United States urgently needs new treatments for common illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, the nation's system for drug approval discourages innovation and investment, especially for our most pressing public health challenges. In this paper, we find that the main culprit is the high cost of Phase III clinical trials, which are required for FDA approval of most drugs. We examined drug development in four major public health areas and discovered that for any given drug on the market, typically 90 percent or more of that drug's development costs are incurred in Phase III trials. These costs have skyrocketed in recent years, exacerbating an already serious problem.

The enormous cost and risk of Phase III trials create incentives for researchers and investors to avoid work on medications for the chronic conditions and illnesses that pose the greatest threat to Americans, in terms of health spending and in terms of the number of people affected. This avoidance, in turn, harms overall U.S. health outcomes and drives up the cost of health care.

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Rapamycin and Oxidative Stress in Adult Stem Cells

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Following on from research into the mechanisms of rapamycin released earlier this month, here is more on the way it might generate its benefits to longevity in laboratory mammals: "Balancing quiescence with proliferation is of paramount importance for adult stem cells in order to avoid hyperproliferation and cell depletion. In some models, stem cell exhaustion may be reversed with the drug rapamycin, which was shown can suppress cellular senescence in vitro and extend lifespan in animals. We hypothesized that rapamycin increases the expression of oxidative stress response genes in adult stem cells, and that these gene activities diminish with age. To test our hypothesis, we exposed mice to rapamycin and then examined the transcriptome of their spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Gene expression microarray analysis revealed that numerous oxidative stress response genes were upregulated upon rapamycin treatment ... When we examined the expression of these genes in 55-week-old wild type SSCs, their levels were significantly reduced compared to 3-week-old SSCs, suggesting that their downregulation is coincident with the aging process in adult stem cells. We conclude that rapamycin-induced stimulation of oxidative stress response genes may promote cellular longevity in SSCs, while a decline in gene expression in aged stem cells could reflect the SSCs' diminished potential to alleviate oxidative stress, a hallmark of aging."

Link: http://impactaging.com/papers/v4/n4/full/100451.html

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Less Hand Osteoarthritis in Longer-Lived Populations

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Age-related diseases are among the more visible signs of accumulated biological damage that occurs over time - aging is damage. So we should expect to see less of all such conditions in longer lived populations, and here researchers demonstrate that point for osteoarthritis: "Previous studies have reported that centenarians escape the major age-related diseases. No studies on prevalence and severity of osteoarthritis (OA) in longevity population have previously been reported. Because OA is associated with morbidity and mortality, we hypothesized that radiographic hand OA would generally be less prevalent and would develop at a later age in longevity populations vs non-longevity populations. ... Longevity index was calculated as a ratio of the number of individuals aged [greater than] 90 years vs the number of people aged [greater than] 60, expressed per mil. A population with longevity index [greater than] 40 was considered as a longevity population. ... A significant difference in age standardized prevalence of hand OA was found between each pair of studied samples ... We observed that the pattern of radiographic hand OA in longevity populations differs from the pattern in non-longevity populations. On average, first joints with OA appear at an older age, and progression of hand OA [is] slower."

Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22526078

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

An Interview with Michael Batin

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The 2nd International Conference on the Genetics of Aging and Longevity is presently underway in Moscow, organized by the active Russian arm of the longevity research community - such as the folk behind the Science for Life Extension Foundation - and well-attended by notable life science researchers from around the world. Earlier this month, the Moscow News ran an interview with Michael Batin, one of the organizers. His views are representative of the Russian community, whose members tend to be forthright and direct when it comes to the end goals of longevity science: to defeat aging entirely, banish the suffering it causes, and usher in an era of ageless humans. More power to them - we could do with a lot more of that sort of outspoken advocacy here in the Anglosphere.

The quoted passages below are run through Google's automated translation engine, which unfortunately still butchers Russian:

Q: What is the real goal that we set ourselves right now? Can you say, talk about extending the life of ten years from now?

MB: In ten years? It is not even present, and yesterday. It has long been proven that reducing caloric intake [and even] just a healthy lifestyle [lead to a longer life]. Our goal is different - a victory over an aging, it is by and large the whole purpose of medical science. After all, if you think about all of the doctors [dedicated to the] prolongation of life, the estrangement of death. A person does not want to die right now, well, anti-aging does not differ fundamentally, it is also the struggle with death.

Q: So you're talking about immortality?

MB: Yes. This is the ultimate goal. In the coming ten years, you can raise the life expectancy [to] 150 years, with adequate [resources and large enough research community]. If, for example, to do research megaproject like the American lunar program. And if we know in ten years that will live more than a hundred years, this will give us more time to find a way to further extend [life].

Q: But how? Are there any pills?

MB: If you're talking about a miracle pill, then, of course not. Aging depends on many factors, and is now the main problem is just that we do not know them all. And the proposed mega-project just involves a systematic search for the causes of aging.

...

Q: And it's all in the mega-project? [It's] going to cost [a] quite impossibly high sum.

MB: But now we are spending huge amounts of money on arms - you've seen defense spending in Russia? - And do not invest in [biogerontology], fundamental research on the causes of aging. Even in the U.S., [where] gerontology takes a billion dollars, [that is] their total spending, of that billion is spent on Alzheimer's disease, [on] geriatrics, and [only a small fraction of it on] the fundamental work on finding the root causes of aging.

Research is always the red-haired stepchild of human endeavors, small and neglected behind the bread, circuses, and cathedrals of destruction. But what can one person do about that? Best not to be too weighed down by the essential insanity of the human condition as we have collectively managed to engineer it. It won't actually require more than a few tens of millions of people to decide they want to make a difference and devote some modest effort towards doing something about aging - a community that large, distributed around the world, could assemble the necessary funds and researchers to, for example, complete the SENS project to demonstrate robust rejuvenation in mice. Everyone else can go on building bombs and monuments if they so desire, but the things that matter will still get done, as they have always done, by a motivated tiny minority.

Long after the time in which anyone can easily recall who was US president in 2011, or what party was in power, or which wars of declining empire were fought, and then long after anyone even cares about that ancient history, and later, long after the whole downward slope of the history of the US is but a footnote of interest to scholars of the transition from second to third millennium, and later still, long after anyone can even find out with any great reliability who was US president in 2011 ... long after all these things are forgotten, the first half of the 21st century will still be clearly recalled as the dawn of the era in which aging was conquered.

Progress in science and technology is really the only thing that matters in the long term.

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Two Drugs Safe for Rare Forms of Kidney Cancer

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(HealthDay News) --
Using a combination of the drugs temsirolimus (Torisel) and Bryostatin appears
to be safe in patients with metastatic kidney cancer, according to early data
from 25 patients in a phase 1 trial.

The researchers said a pathway known as mTOR signaling promotes tumor cell
proliferation and tumor blood vessel development. The temsirolimus-bryostatin
combination blocks two portions of the mTOR signaling pathway, and the early
data suggests the drugs may be active in patients with rare forms of renal cell
cancer that are less likely to respond to other therapies.

"We have certainly seen sustained responses with this combination, which
are encouraging," Dr. Elizabeth Plimack, a medical oncologist and attending
physician at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, said in a news release
from the center.

"Patients with non-clear cell renal cell cancer, including papillary renal
cancer, don't respond as well to tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as sunitinib [Sutent]
and sorafenib [Nexavar], as patients with clear cell renal cell. So there is an
unmet need for therapy for these patients. We've seen that this combination may
be active to some degree for them," Plimack said.

The findings were to be presented Sunday at the American Society of Clinical
Oncology annual meeting, in Orlando, Fla. Read more…

Source:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/integratedmedicine

A Herpesvirus saimiri-based vector expressing TRAIL induces cell death in human carcinoma cell lines and multicellular spheroid cultures.

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Authors: Turrell SJ, Macnab SA, Rose A, Melcher AA, Whitehouse A
Abstract
Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) is capable of infecting a range of human carcinoma cell types with high efficiency and the viral genome persists as high copy number, circular, non-integrated episomes which segregate to progeny upon cell division. This allows HVS-based vectors to stably transduce a dividing cell population and provide sustained transgene expression for an extended period of time both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the insertion of a bacterial artificial chromosome cassette into the HVS genome simplifies the incorporation of large amounts of heterologous DNA for gene delivery. Herein we have produced a recombinant HVS-based vector containing full-length human TRAIL under the control of the ?-survi...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Source:
http://www.medworm.com/rss/medicalfeeds/therapies/Gene-Therapy.xml

California Stem Cell Agency Wants to Weaken Financial Disclosure for Execs and Board

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The $3 billion California stem cell agency, which is moving to engage the biotech industry ever more closely, is proposing a major weakening of the financial disclosure requirements for its board of directors and executives.

The move comes as the agency is also seeking to raise cash from the private sector to continue the state research effort's existence.  CIRM's dimming of transparency runs counter to government trends nationally for more disclosure rather than less, including regulations enacted last year by the NIH.

The proposed changes will be considered next Thursday by the CIRM directors' Governance Subcommittee, which will have public teleconference sites in San Francisco and Irvine and two each in Los Angeles and La Jolla.

Currently CIRM board members and top executives must disclose all their investments and income – in a general way – along with California real property that they hold. Under the changes, disclosures would instead be required only "if the business entity or source of income is of the type to receive grants or other monies from or through the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine." CIRM offered no explanation of what it means by "of the type to receive" funds from the agency.

The proposal further narrows disclosure in connection with income or investments in enterprises that provide facilities or services used by CIRM. With the removal of the requirement for reporting all investments, CIRM's changes also specified disclosure of income and investments connected to business entities (nonprofits are not mentioned) that are engaged in biomedical research or the manufacture of biomedical pharmaceuticals.

The new code would appear to give CIRM directors and executives wide personal latitude in determining what should be disclosed. The current language simply states that "all" investments, etc., must be disclosed. That language originated in the 1974 ballot initiative that created the state disclosure requirements. The initiative's intent was to give the public and interested parties access to key information that would allow them to determine what forces are at work in government and whether conflicts of interests exist – as opposed to simply trusting the assertions of officials without additional substantiation.

The new code also appears to relieve CIRM officials of reporting investment in or income from venture capital or other firms that may be engaged in financing biotech or stem cell enterprises, since the firms do not receive cash from CIRM or engage in biomedical research.

While the code appears to provide more reporting freedom for board members and executives, it also may indirectly impose a burden on them to determine whether any of their investments may involve biomedical research or enterprises that could possibly receive funds from CIRM at some point

Earlier this week, the California Stem Cell Report asked the stem cell agency about such issues. Kevin McCormack, CIRM's new senior director of public communications and patient advocate outreach, replied that the changes were "proposed" by the state Fair Political Practices Commission, which oversees state disclosure laws.

He said the FPPC says agencies "should tailor their disclosure categories to type of work performed by the agency."

McCormack cited as examples the State Board of Education and the state retirement system.

As for the specific changes in CIRM's code, McCormack said,

"Because these are the types of entities that are likely to create potential conflicts of interest, we believe the disclosure categories are appropriate."

McCormack did not comment on whether the proposed code would give board members more reporting latitude or whether it relieve them of reporting investments tied to the financing of biotech or stem cell firms. (The text of his response can be found here.)

The California Stem Cell Report is querying the FPPC concerning its policy regarding disclosure codes. CIRM's new code is expected to go before the the full CIRM board in late May. The changes are subject to review by the FPPC and then must formally go through the state administrative law process during which the public can comment and the code modified before final adoption.

Our take? The proposed changes are not in the best interests of CIRM or the people of California. The absence of transparency and disclosure only breeds suspicious speculation of the worst sort. The agency is already burdened by conflicts of interest that are built in by the ballot measure that created it in 2004. Nearly all of the $1.3 billion that CIRM has handed out has gone to institutions linked to CIRM directors. Weakening disclosure at a time when the biotech industry will become more closely tied to CIRM inevitably raises questions about financial linkages – present and future – between CIRM directors and executives and industry. For the past seven years, CIRM directors and staff have been able to comply with
more complete disclosure. They should continue to do so for the life of the agency, which will expire in less than a decade unless it finds additional sources of cash.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss